Fin winding machines



ATTORNEY 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 |NVENTOR= ALLAN STIKELEATHER,

BY Md W WM QQ A. STIKELEATHER FIN WINDING MACHINES May 16, 1967 FlledJuly 20 1964 May 16, 1957 Filed July 20, 1964 will I ll-III! A.STIKELEATHER 3,319,446

FIN WINDING MACHINES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 |NVENTOR= ALLAN STIKELEATHER,

BY J- 9 M ATTORNEY United States Patent Ofifice 3,319,446 FIN WINDINGMACHINES Allan Stikeleather, Canton, Mass. Industrial Blast Coil Corp.,324 N. Franklin 3L, Holbroolr, Mass. 02343 Filed July 20, 1964, Ser. No.383,818 3 Claims. (Cl. 72136) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE For crowdingfins on a spirally finned tube moving longitudinally from a finningmachine, closely together at spaced apart distances, a rod is attachedto the advancing end of the tube, and has spaced-apart collets formingcam surfaces attached thereto. A cam follower closes a switch each timeit rides up a cam surface, to energize a solenoid which opens a valve toadmit compressed air into a cylinder having a piston rod. The finningmachine has two clutches, one of which, when engaged, causes the tube tomove longitudinally at its normal speed, and the other of which, whenengaged, causes the tube to move longitudinally at a speed slower thannormal. When compressed air is admitted into the cylinder, its pistonrod disengages the one clutch and engages the other clutch, causing thetube to move slower longitudinally through the finning machine so thatits fins are crowded close together.

' This invention relates to machines for winding extended surface finsspirally on heat exchange tubes.

Certain duties require that a spirally finned tube should have spacedapart along the length of the tube, collars for contact with tubesupporting or air bafiling structure. Previously, this has requiredseveral short lengths of fin spaced apart by such collars. This has beenaccomplished by sliding a prewound, short length of fin on a tube,soldering or otherwise securing the fin to the tube, sliding a collar onthe tube against the adjacent end of the fin, soldering or otherwisesecuring the collar to the tube, sliding another prewound, short lengthof fin on the tube, soldering or otherwise securing this fin to thetube, sliding another collar on the tube against the adjacent end of thefin, soldering or otherwise securing this collar to the tube, and so on.Such a process has been slow and costly.

This invention eliminates the necessity for such collars by spirallywinding a tin on a tube, and by winding the turns of the fin veryclosely together where the collars have been required. A conventionalfin winding machine is used, and means is provided for decreasing therate of advance of the tube on which the fin is wound for causing theturns of the fin to be wound very closely together in the locationsalong the length of the tube where the collars have been required, andfor increasing the rate of advance of the tube to normal for providingnormal fin spacing between such locations. This is all doneautomatically without stopping the fin winding machine during thefinning of a single length of tube, and greatly reduces the timerequired for and the cost of producing such a tube.

This invention will now be described with reference to the annexeddrawings, of which:

FIG. 1 is a side view of the left end portion of one embodiment of thisinvention;

FIG. 1A is a side view of the right end portion of the one embodiment ofthis invention, and

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary view, partially in section, of thefin forming rolls, and of a portion of a finned tube.

,31'a,4 4 6 fatented May 16, 1967 conventional finning machine has atube advancing and rotating head 10 similar to the head 27 of the R. M.Stikeleather Patent No. 2,799,389, the specification of which isincluded by reference herein. Such a head has means for varying thespeed of rotation of a tube independently of the rate of advance of thetube.

An electric motor 11 drives through pulleys 12 and 13 and a belt 14, agear box 15. The gear box 15 drives through a shaft 16, a pulley 17 anda belt 18, a pulley 19 on a shaft 20. The lower end of the shaft 20 isformed as a beveled roll 21 which cooperates with a tapered roll 22 tosqueeze the peripheral portion of a ribbon to cause it to curl about andadhere as a fin 23 to a tube 24, as disclosed in said patent. The roll22 is on a shaft 25 on which there is a gear 26 meshed with a gear 27 onthe shaft 20, and is driven by the shaft 20 through the gears 26 and 27.

The gear box 15 drives through a pulley 30 and a belt 31, a pulley 32.The pulley 32 corresponds to the pulley 37 of the head 27 of saidpatent, and drives the mechanism within the head 10 which advances thetube 24 through the head 10 and past the rolls 21 and 22. A pulley 34 isattached to the pulley 32, and drives through a belt 35, a pulley 36 onone end of the shaft 37. A pulley 40 is on the other end of the shaft37, and drives tthrough a belt 41, a pulley 42. The pulley 42 isslidable along a shaft 43 of the head 10, which shaft 43 corresponds tothe shaft 57 of the head 27 of said patent. The shaft 43 drives the tubeadvancing mechanism within the head 10. A clutch disc 44 is attached tothe shaft 43.

A pulley 46 attached to the pulley 32, drives through a belt 47, apulley 48 on one end of a shaft 49. A pulley 50 on the other end of theshaft 49, drives through a belt 51, a pulley 52 slidable along the shaft43. The clutch disc 44 is between the pulleys 42 and 52. Since thepulley 50 which drives the pulley 52 is much smaller than the pulley 40which drives the pulley 52, the pulley 42 rotates much slower than doesthe pulley 52.

A sleeve 54 around the shaft 43 to the left of the pulley 42, is pivotedto the upper end of lever 55 which is pivoted at 56 to extension 57 ofthe casing of the head 10. The lower end of the lever 55 is pivoted to asleeve 58 which is secured by nuts 59 on a threaded piston rod 60 of anair cylinder 61. A sleeve 64 around the shaft 43 is pivoted to the upperend of lever 65 which is pivoted at 66 to the extension 57. The lowerend of the lever 65 is pivoted to a sleeve 69 which is secured by nuts68 on the threaded piston rod 60.

The air cylinder 61 is connected by tubes 70 and 71 to a two-Way valve72 which is connected by a tube 73 to a conventional source ofcompressed air which is not shown. The valve 72 has an air release tube74. The valve 72 is adjusted by a solenoid 75 to admit compressed airthrough the tube 70 into the cylinder 61 for causing the piston rod 60to move to the right, or to admit the air through the tube 71 into thecylinder 61 for causing the piston rod 60 to move to the left. Thesolenoid 75 is connected by wires 76 and 77 in series with aconventional switch 78 to electric supply lines L1 and L2.

A collet 80 has its right end Within the left, outer end of a tube 24 tobe finned, and has a slot 81 into which extends a screw 82 which isadjustable to spread the slot 81 to tighten the connection of the colletto the tube. An index rod 84 has its right end threaded into the leftend of the collet 80, with nuts 85 locking this connection. The rod 84,while as illustrated, rotating with the collet 80 and the tube 24 whilethe latter is being finned, could be rotatably attached to the collet sothat it would not turn with the latter.

The rod 84 has equally spaced apart, cam collars 86 attached thereto,each collar having a central, cylindrical cam surface 87 with slopingsurfaces 88 on opposite sides thereof. A cam follower 89 pivoted at 90to a support 91, while it is in contact with a cam surface 87, closesthe switch 78 to energize the solenoid 75. The switch 78 opens when thecam follower 89 is off a cam surface 87, and deenergizes the solenoid75.

Operation In operation, the head rotates and advances the tube 24, andthe fin 23 is wound on the tube 24 by the action of the rolls 21 and 22as is disclosed in detail in the said patent. As the tube 24 isadvanced, it moves. to the right, carrying with it the rod 84 with itscam. collars 86. When the cam follower 89 is on a cam sur-- face 87, theswitch 78 is closed, the solenoid 75 is en-- ergized and adjusts thevalve 72 to admit compressed air into the cylinder 61 to cause thepiston rod 60 to move the upper ends of the levers 55 and 65 to theright, moving the pulley 42 against the clutch disc 44, and moving thepulley 52 away from the clutch disc 44. The low speed pulley 42 drivesthrough the clutch disc 44, the shaft 43 of the head 10, causing thetube 24 to be advanced at a much slower than normal rate. This causesthe turns of the fin to be wound very closely together in spaced apartgroups 92.

When the cam follower 89 rides off a cam surface 87, the switch 78 isopened, the solenoid 75 is deenergized, and the valve 72 is adjusted toadmit compressed air into the cylinder 61 to cause the piston rod 60 tomove the upper ends of the levers 55 and 65 to the left, moving thepulley 42 away from contact with the clutch disc 44, and moving thenormal speed pulley 52 against the clutch disc 44. The pulley 52 drivesthrough the clutch disc 44, the shaft 43 of the head 10 at its normalspeed for causing the tube 24 to be advanced at its normal speed so asto provide normal fin spacing between the groups 92.

The fin groups 92 can be used to receive tube supports: or air baffles.Since theyare provided automatically at high speed on a tube that canhave any desired practical length, their cost is relatively low.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with a finning machine having a head for rotating andlongitudinally advancing a tube tobe finned, said head having a firstshaft connected to its tube advancing mechanism, and having a secondshaft connected to its tube rotating mechanism, said machine havingrolls for deforming an edge portion of a ribbon to be wound as a fin onsaid tube, and having means for rotating said first and second shaftsand said rolls, index means movable longitudinally with said tube, saidindex means having aligned, spaced apart, control surfaces, a controlmember which said surfaces pass in succession as said index means ismoved longitudinally with said tube, said means for rotating said firstshaft including a first means normally connected to said first shaft forrotating said first shaft at a normal speed, and including a secondmeans for rotating said first shaft at a slower than normal speed, andmeans controlled by said control member for disconnecting said firstmeans from said first shaft and connecting said second means to saidfirst shaft when said control member is opposite one of said controlsurfaces, and for disconnecting said second means from said first shaftand connecting said first means to said first shaft when said controlmember is between said surfaces.

2. In combination with a finning machine having a head for rotating andlongitudinally advancing a tube "to be finned, said head having a firstshaft connected to its tube advancing mechanism, and having a secondshaft connected to its tube rotating mechanism, said machine havingrolls for deforming an edge portion of a ribbon to be wound as a fin onsaid tube, and having means for rotating said first and second shaftsand said rolls, an index rod connected to the outer end of said tube soas to be moved longitudinally with said tube, said rod having aligned,spaced apart cam surfaces, a cam follower which said surfaces contact insuccession when said rod is moved longitudinally with said tube, saidmeans for rotating said first shaft including a first meansfor rotatingsaid first shaft at a normal speed, said first means being normallyconnected to said first shaft, said means for rotating said first shaftincluding a second means for connection to said first shaft for rotatingsaid first shaft at a slower than normal speed, and means controlled bysaid cam follower for disconnecting said first means from said firstshaft and connecting said second means to said first shaft when saidfollower is on one of said surfaces, and for disconnecting said secondmeans from said first shaft and connecting said first means to saidfirst shaft when said follower is between said surfaces.

3. In combination with a finning machine having a .head for rotating andlongitudinally advancing a tube to be finned, said head having a firstshaft connected to its tube advancing mechanism, and having a secondshaft connected to its tube rotating mechanism, said machine havingrolls for deforming an edge portion of a ribbon to be wound as a fin onsaid tube, and having means for rotating said first and second shaftsand said rolls, an index rod connected to the outer end of said tube soas to be moved longitudinally with said tube, said rod having aligned,spaced apart cam surfaces, a cam follower which said surfaces contact insuccession when said rod is moved longitudinally with said tube, aswitch adjusted to one position when said follower is on one of saidsurfaces, and adjusted to a second position when said follower isbetween said surfaces, said means for rotating said first shaftincluding a first means,

normally connected to said first shaft for rotating said first shaft ata normal speed, and including a second means for connection to saidfirst shaft for rotating said first shaft at a slower than normal speed,means including a solenoid for connecting said first means or saidsecond means to said first shaft, and means including said switch forenergizing said solenoid, said solenoid acting to disconnect said firstmeans from said first shaft and to connect said second means to saidfirst shaft when said switch is in said one position, and acting todisconnect said second means from said first shaft and to connect saidfirst means to said first shaft when said switch is in said secondposition.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,440,803 7/1945Lea 29--157.3 2,796,794 6/1957 Bruegger 29--33 2,799,389 7/l957Stikeleather 214-338 CHARLES W. LANHA'M, Primary Examiner. E. M. COMES,Assistant Examiner.

1. IN COMBINATION WITH A FINNING MACHINE HAVING A HEAD FOR ROTATING ANDLONGITUDINALLY ADVANCING A TUBE TO BE FINNED, SAID HEAD HAVING A FIRSTSHAFT CONNECTED TO ONE OF SAID CONTROL SURFACES, AND FOR DISCONNECTINGSAID ITS TUBE ADVANCING MECHANISM, AND HAVING A SECOND SHAFT CONNECTEDTO ITS TUBE ROTATING MECHANISM, SAID MACHINE HAVING ROLLS FOR DEFORMINGAN EDGE PORTION OF A RIBBON TO BE WOUND AS A FIN ON SAID TUBE, ANDHAVING MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID FIRST AND SECOND SHAFTS AND SAID ROLLS,INDEX MEANS MOVABLE LONGITUDINALLY WITH SAID TUBE, SAID INDEX MEANSHAVING ALIGNED, SPACED APART, CONTROL SURFACES, A CONTROL MEMBER WHICHSAID SURFACES PASS IN SUCCESSION AS SAID INDEX MEANS IS MOVEDLONGITUDINALLY WITH SAID TUBE, SAID MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID FIRST SHAFTINCLUDING A FIRST MEANS NORMALLY CONNECTED TO SAID FIRST SHAFT FORROTATING SAID FIRST SHAFT AT A NORMAL SPEED, AND IN-